Apparatus for severing a liquid stream



March 8, 1966 D. E. STROUD, JR., ETAL 3,239,327

APPARATUS FOR SEVERING A LIQUID STREAM Filed June 29, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS S TR 0 uo, J2. HA vans HA NKIN solv D. E. AB. K. D.

m W Q ATTORNEYS March 8, 1966 D. E. STROUD, JR., ETAL 3,239,327

APPARATUS FOR SEVERING A LIQUID STREAM- Filed June 29, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 8, 1966 D. E. STROUD, JR., ETAL 3,239,327

APPARATUS FOR SEVERING A LIQUID STREAM Filed June 29, 1962 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS D. E. 5TRou0,-JR. A. B. HAVE/vs K. D. HANKINSON WA W ,4 TTOEA/EYS March 1966 D. E. sTRoUD, JR, ETAL 3,239,327

APPARATUS FOR SEVERING A LIQUID STREAM Filed June 29, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 12 ll 46 50 16a [30 (I 126 g fi iffl jf l 32 1 4 F1 -.1Q 14 6 F1 .11 INVENTORS .r- D. 5. 6' r2000 JR.

' A. 8. HAVENS K. 0. KANKINSON A TTORNEYS United States Patent APPARATUS FOR SEVERING A LIQUID STREAM Delbert E. Stroud, J12, Newark, Arthur B. Havens, Toledo,

and Kenneth D. Hankinson, Granville, Ohio, assignors to Dwens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 29, 1962, Ser. No. 206,386 2 Claims. (Cl. 65-334) This invention relates to apparatus for severing a liquid stream and more particularly to shears for severing a stream of molten glass.

A number of devices are known in the art by means of which streams of hot glass can be temporarily interrupted. This often has been accomplished by locating a plunger in a spout of a tank containing molten glass and pulling the plunger upwardly to counteract flow of the glass when the flow is to be stopped temporarily. The plunger apparatus, however, is expensive and requires frequent maintenance. Several designs of shears also have been heretofore proposed and used to sever glass streams. Although these shears have been satisfactory for some applications in which precise timing and accurate control of the streams are not important, they usually have lacked uniformity of operation so that they cannot be coordinated with reproducible precision with other components. Further, the shears have tended to deflect the glass stream to one side or the other, rendering them unsuitable for use where the stream must pass through a small opening.

The present invention relates to improved shears for temporarily severing or interrupting a stream of hot glass and for enabling resumption of the flow thereof without either undue deflection of the stream or appreciable change in the size thereof. The shears also can be operated in a manner to interrupt the stream for a predetermined period of time and at a precise moment with reproducible precision. The effectiveness of the new shears is made possible in part by a cup member on at least one blade of the shears, which member is made of a material which will not be wetted by the glass stream. During a severing operation, the cup member is so designed and constructed that; when the shears are again opened, the initial end of the new stream continues in the same path as the severed stream with substantially no deflection thereof.

The effectiveness of the new shears is also made possible by a particular blade linkage operated by a power ram which causes the blades to move from the open to a closed position and again back to the open position with but a single stroke of a piston of the ram. The shears also have mounting means which enables them to be easily and rapidly attached to and detached from a bottom portion of a tank holding hot glass. This is particularly important because such tanks radiate a large amount of heat and produce an uncomfortable environment so that it is desirable for an operator to be in the area for as short a time as possible.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide improved shears for severing a liquid stream, which shears have the features and advantages set forth above.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a proferred embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic view in elevation of a portion of shears according to the invention in conjunction with components of a hot glass system with which they are used;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged View in perspective of a shears embodying the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the shears shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front end view of the shears shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are plan views of the shear blades and associated linkages in three different positions during a single stroke of a piston within the power ram of the shears;

FIG. 8 is a view in cross section, taken along the line 88 of FIG. 6, and shown on a larger scale, of a portion of the shear blades when in their closed position and further showing a stream of glass severed thereby;

FIG. 9 is a top view similar to FIG. 3 of a portion of slightly modified shears according to the invention;

FIG. 10 is a front end view of the shears shown in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11 is a side view in elevtion of the portion of the shears shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 with a mounting unit attached.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, a portion of shears 10 embodying the invention is shown in relation to a stream 12 of hot glass issuing from a tank 14 which melts the glass and delivers it through a spout 16. From this spout 16, the stream 12 of glass falls by gravity into a receiver 18 having a relatively small opening in the upper end thereof through which the stream 12 passes. For example, the receiver 18 can constitute a rotary fiberizing unit as shown in Kliest et al. Patent 2,949,632 or Snow Patents Nos. 3,014,235 and 3,014,236. In such a unit, conservation of space is important; hence, the opening for the glass stream 12 is relatively small, perhaps only 1 inch to 1 /2 inches in diameter.

When the glass is to be shut off from the receiver 18 for long periods of time, the heat supplied to the tank 14 can be decreased or stopped so that the temperature therein falls and causes the glass to freeze at the spout 16. When the glass to the receiver 18 is to be cut off only temporarily, this procedure is impractical because it requires that the entire tank 14 must again be heated to proper temperature before operations can be resumed, and this may take several hours, depending upon the size of the tank. Hence, when the receiver 18 is to be only temporarily shut down, the glass stream 12 is allowed to continue to flow but is intercepted by a glass chute 20 which carries the stream 12 to one side of the receiver 18 where it can be collected and remelted if desired.

If the chute 20 is moved into the intercepting position shown in dotted lines in FIG, 1 without severing the glass stream first, it often will deflect the stream 12 and cause a portion of it to hit the side of the opening in the receiver 18 and freeze. This will plug the opening or a passage therebelow and render the unit 18 inoperable. In addition, a tail or section of cooled glass will often form on the upper edge of the chute 20 and this tail also may fall into or across the opening in the receiver 18 and cause plugging thereof. Hence, it is essential that the stream 12 be severed and the upper, new portion be held temporarily until the chute 20 can move into or out of the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. The severing must be done carefully, however, because if the stream 12 is deflected to any extent, it will hit the side of the opening in the receiver 18. Accurate timing is also essential to enable movement of the chute and the severing action to be properly coordinated.

Referring in more detail to FIGS. 2-4, the shears 10 basically includes a left-hand blade 22 and a right-hand blade 24, power means generally indicated at 26, and a mounting unit 28. The left-hand blade 22 has a severing or cutting edge with an initial sharply sloping surface 30 (FIG. 8) and a more shallow sloping surface 32 which provide a more effective severing action for the glass stream than a blade with a single, shallow sloping surface. The left-hand blade 22 further has a pivot opening 34 \3 (FIG. 5) at an intermediate portion and a link-connecting opening 36 at the rear extremity of the blade.

The right-hand blade 24 also has a severing or cutting edge with a sharp sloping surface 38 (FIG. 8) and a shallow sloping surface 40 which are similar to the surfaces 30 and 32 of the blade 22. The steep cutting surfaces 30 and 38 do not meet during operation of the shears 10 but actually overlap when the blades 22 and 24 are closed. Apparently, the glass stream is not cut in the usual sense but a minute portion of it is shattered by the surfaces 30 and 38 as the blades converge on it from opposite sides. The blade 24 also has a pivot opening 42 (FIG. 5) and a link-connecting opening 44. The blades 22 and 24 are shaped so that when open there is provided a notch 46 through which the glass stream 12 flows.

The right-hand blade 24 has a cup member 48 with a recess 50 (see FIG. 8) in the approximate shape of an inverted half cone with a rounded apex. By making the recess 50 slightly less than one-half a cone, there is less chance that the glass from the stream 12 will hangup therein. The cup member 48 preferably is made of carbon or other material which will not be wet by molten glass to reduce further the possibility that the glass will be caught therein. The cup member 48 is resiliently mounted on the blade by a pair of parallel leaf springs 52 with remote ends affixed to the blade 24 by a block 54. A second block 56 at the opposite ends of the springs 52 maintains them in parallel relationship so that the front surface of the cup member 48, when moving, tends to remain parallel to the cutting surface 38. The resilient mounting for the member 48 enables the member to move rearwardly as the blade 22 overlaps the cutting edge of the blade 24 and contacts the cup member 48 (FIG. 8). In this manner, the recess 50 is in a substantially fixed position with respect to the stream 12 once the blades 22 and 24 begin to overlap and the severing action is completed. If the cup were simply mounted in a fixed position spaced rearwardly from the cutting edge of the blade 24, it would not properly contact the stream 12 and would not prevent the glass from catching on the surface of the blade 24 between the cup member 48 and the cutting edge.

For the purpose of coordinating and moving the blades 22 and 24, they are pivotally attached to links 58 and 60 by suitable bolts 62 and 64 extending through the holes 36 and 44. The links 58 and 60 are pivotally connected to a yoke 66 of a piston rod 68 by a pin 70. The rod 68 is connected to a power piston (not shown) which constitutes part of a power ram 72 of the power means 26. The blades 22 and 24 are pivotally connected by a bolt 74 which extends through the holes 34 and 42 and also through a pivot block 76 (FIG. 2) slidably engaged in a slot 78 of a supporting plate 80. This provides lateral adjustment of the pivot point for the blades 22 and 24 and adjustment of the location at which the blades 22 and 24 overlap so that the overlap will be symmetrical with the stream 12. If it is not symmetrical, the stream will have a tendency to be deflected laterally during a severing operation.

A complete severing operation is effected with but one stroke of the piston of the power ram 72. With the piston at the rear of the ram 72, the links 58 and 60 are in the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 with the blades 22 and 24 being open and with the stream 12 passing through the notch 46 between the blades. As the piston moves forwardly, the links 58 and 60 move into alignment as shown in FIG. 6. At this point, the pivot holes 36 and 44 of the blades 22 and 24 are spaced farthest apart and the cutting surfaces 30 and 38 of the blades 22 and 24 are at their maximum overlapped positions (see also FIG. 8). As the piston continues its forward stroke, the links 58 and 60 move toward the position shown in FIG. 7 and the blades return to their open position in one stroke of the piston.

With this linkage arrangement, the blades move the slowest when in their overlapped positions with the links 58 and 60 approximating the aligned positions, so that the stream will be severed and the initial end of the new portion will be retained for a relatively long part of the overall stroke of the piston. By this means, the stream can be delayed for a sufiiciently long period to move the chute 20 into or out of position even though the stroke of the piston consumes only approximately 0.03-0.04 second. In practice, the cutting edges of the blades 22 and 24 are spaced apart approximately 1% to 2 inches when in their open position and overlap approximately i inch when in their closed position.

The power means 26 also includes a solenoid-operated valve 82 (FIGS. 2 and 3) for controlling power fluid or air to the ram 70. The valve 82 includes a supply line 84 which directs the fluid thereto along with a line 86 connecting the valve to one end of the ram 70 and a line 88 connecting the valve to the other end of the ram 70. Air is exhausted from a discharge opening 90 of the valve 82. Power is supplied to the solenoids of the valve 82 through a conduit 92 (FIG. 3), a junction box 94, and a power line 96 connected to any suitable source. At the same time that power is supplied to the valve 82 to supply power fluid to one end of the ram 70 and thus initiate a severing stroke, a time delay relay is also actuated to delay slightly the operation of the chute 20. The chute 20 can be moved by another power ram which is also controlled through a solenoid-operated valve. The split-second delay prevents the chute from moving into the path of the stream 12 until after the severed end is below the chute 20 and before the initial end of the new portion of the stream can reach the upper end of the chute 20. Also, when the chute 20 is moving out of the path of the stream 12, the time delay prevents the chute from moving until after the severed end of the lower portion of the stream is below the upper end of the chute 20 and before the initial end of the new portion reaches the upper end of the chute 20.

A heat shield 98 is positioned around the power means 26 to protect the components from heat from the receiver 18, particularly if it is moved away from the stream 12 and under the power means 26 as is sometimes done when the rate of flow of the stream 12 is to be measured.

Because the environment below the glass tank 14 is warm enough to be uncomfortable to an operator, it is important that the shears 10 be easily mounted in and removed from the operating position. For this purpose, a generally C-shaped channel member 100 (FIG. 4) is welded or otherwise suitably afiixed to a bottom 102 of the tank 14 in order to hold the shears 10. Flanges of the channel 100 extend under a mounting plate 104 and in alignment with an intermediate plate 106 located between the plate 104 and the supporting plate 80. By this arrangement, the shears 10 easily can be slid into and out of the channel 100 to be attached to or separated from the tank bottom 102. Once the shears 10 are positioned properly with respect to the channel 100, jaw members 108 are forced outwardly against the channel sides to hold the shears 10 rigidly in position. This movement of the jaw members 108 (see also FIG. 1) is accomplished by levers 110 which are pivoted to the mounting plate 104 by pins 112, with the inner ends of the levers 110 pivotally joined together by a bolt 114 which also pivotally connects the levers 110 to an adjusting ear 116. The ear 116 is threadedly engaged by an adjusting bolt 118 which extends through a supporting block 120 and has a head 122 exposed toward the rear of the shears 10. The head 122 may be engaged by a long handled wrench turned by an operator located behind the rear end of the shears 10 and at a comfortable distance from the tank bottom 102. When the head 122 is turned by the wrench, it turns the adjusting screw 118 and moves the ear 116 longitudinally of the shears 10. This causes the levers 110 to pivot about the pins 112 to move the jaw members 108 toward or away from the channel 100. When the shears are to be attached to the bottom 102, the plate 104 is inserted in the channel 100 and moved until it reaches a stop (not shown) therein. The screw 118 is then turned to move the jaw members 108 against the channel 100 and hold the shears firmly in place. The blades 22 and 24 then are properly laterally positioned by preadjustment of the block '76 with respect to the plate 80. They are also properly positioned longitudinally by preadjustment of the mounting plate 104 with respect to the supporting plate 80 by means of a slot 124 and a bolt (not shown).

A slightly modified form of shears 126 according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 9-11, this form being designed particularly for higher flow rates of the stream 12 or for slower operation of the shear blades. The shears 126 is used in the same manner as the shears 10 and also basically includes a left-hand blade 128 and a right-hand blade 130, power means (not shown), and a mounting unit 132 (FIG. 11). The mounting unit 132 is similar to the unit 28 and will not be discussed in detail.

The left-hand blade 128 includes a severing or cutting edge on a detachable portion 134, with a sharply sloping surface 136 having a special cutting insert 138 of Stellite or the like. The blade 128 also includes an intermediate pivot opening 140 and a link connecting opening 142 at the rear extremity of the blade.

The right-hand blade 130 similarly includes a detachable cutting portion 144 having a sharply sloping cutting surface 146 with a cutting insert 148. The blade 130 also has an intermediate pivot opening 150 and a link connecting opening 152. In this instance, both of the blades 128 and 130 lie in the same plane so that the cutting surfaces 136 and 1146 move into abutting relationship when the blades are closed. This tends to pinch the stream and apparently shatters it when the blades meet.

The blades 128 and 130 have cup members 154 and 156 which are mounted on the blades in fixed relationship by bolts 158 and 159 because the blades never overlap and there is no need to mount the cup members 154 and 156 in a yieldable manner. The cup members contain recesses 160 and 162 which generally resemble the shape of the recess 50, each being slightly less than onehalf an inverted cone, so that the two recesses form an eliptical opening when they meet, as in FIG. 9. The main advantage in the use of the two cup members 154 and 156, rather than the single member 48, is that the two cups can more effectively retain a greater quantity of glass and thereby are particularly suitable for severing streams which are larger than those for which the shears 10 are suitable. The double cup members also enable the shears 126 to retain a smaller stream for a longer period of time so that the stream can be interrupted for a longer period, if desired. As is true of the cup member 48, the cup members 154 and 156 are made of carbon or other suitable material which the glass will not Wet, to reduce the possibility that the glass will adhere thereo.

The blades 128 and 130 are pivotally attached to links 164 and 166 which are pivotally connected to a yoke 168 of a piston rod 170. The rod 170 is connected to a power piston (not shown) which constitutes part of a power ram (not shown) similar to the ram 72 of the power means 26. The blades 128 and 130 are pivotally mounted on a supporting plate 172 by means of bolts 174 and 176 extending through the pivot openings 138 and 150. The supporting plate 1'72 has two longitudinally extending slots 178 and 180 therein through which bolts 182 extend, the bolts being screwed into an intermediate block or plate 184 of the mounting unit 132. The two slots 178 and 180 enable the shear blades '128 and 130 to be adjusted both laterally and longitudinally with respect to the mounting unit 132 so that these two slots take the place of the pivot block 76 and the associated slot '78, as well as the longitudinal slot 124, of the shears 10.

A complete severing operation is effected with a single stroke of the piston associated with the piston rod 1'70. The piston rod 170 moves from a rear position corresponding to the position of the rod 68 of FIG. 5, at which time the blades 128 and are open, to the intermediate position shown in FIG. 9. In this position, which also corresponds to the position of FIG. 6, the blades 128 and 130 are closed with the cutting surfaces 136 and 146 in their abutting position. The shear blades 128 and 130 then again open when the links 164 and 166 move to the outer position corresponding to that of FIG. 7. The relative position of the blades 128 and 130 changes very slowly as the links 164 and 166 approximate their aligned positions so that the stream is interrupted for a relatively large portion of the stroke, as is also true of the shears 10.

Various modifications of the above described embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, if they are within the spirit and tenor of the accompanying claims.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with means for producing a continuous liquid stream directed downwardly in a predetermined path, shears for severing a liquid stream and forming gob-like members at the severed end comprising a pair of blades, said blades having severing edges, the severing edge of one of said blades overlapping the severing edge of the other blade in the path directly under said means when said blades are in a closed position thereby to sever the stream, means for pivotally supporting said blades in parallel planes, a cup member on top of said other blade, resilient mounting means for resiliently positioning said cup member on said other blade near the cutting edge thereof, said resilient means enabling said cup member to be pushed away from its associated severing edge when the severing edge of said one blade overlaps said other blade, said cup member having a recess opening toward its associated severing edge and shaped to direct the stream away from said other blade when in the path of the stream with the blades closed, thereby to form a gob-like member at the severed end of the stream, and means for moving said blades between an open position in which said blades are spaced from said stream and the closed position in which the severing edges of said blades are overlapped.

2. Shears according to claim '1 wherein said resilient mounting means includes a pair of parallel leaf springs, means for attaching a portion of said leaf springs to a rear portion of said cup member, and means for attaching another, spaced portion of said leaf springs to said other blade with said leaf springs being perpendicular to the plane of said other blade.

References Gited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,100,776 6/1914 Proeger 65-221 1,207,363 12/1916 Bridges 65-334 X 1,331,528 2/1920 Rule 65-334 X 1,353,953 9/1920 Graham 65-221 1,500,879 7/1924 Miller 65-221 1,573,635 2/1926 Drey 65-127 1,987,249 1/1935 Stenhouse et al. 83-600 1,994,123 3/1935 Curtis 65-334 X 2,041,222 5/1936 Bates 65-221 X 2,072,827 3/1937 Rowe 65-127 DONALL H. SYLVESTER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH MEANS FOR PRODUCING A CONTINUOUS LIQUID STREAM DIRECTED DOWNWARDLY IN A PREDETERMINED PATH, SHEARS FOR SEVERING A LIQUID STREAM AND FORMING GOB-LIKE MEMBERS AT THE SEVERED END COMPRISING A PAIR OF BLADES, SAID BLADES HAVING SEVERING EDGES, THE SEVERING EDGE OF ONE OF SAID BLADES OVERLAPPING THE SEVERING EDGE OF THE OTHER BALDE IN THE PATH DIRECTLY UNDER SAID MEANS WHEN SAID BLADES ARE IN A CLOSED POSITION THEREBY TO SEVER THE STREAM, MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID BLADES IN PARALLEL PLANES, A CUP MEMBER ON TOP OF SAID OTHER BLADE, RESILIENT MOUNTING MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY POSITIONING SAID CUP MEMBER ON SAID OTHER BLADE NEAR THE CUTTING EDGE THEREOF, SAID RESILIENT MEANS ENABLING SAID CUP MEMBER TO BE PUSHED AWAY FROM ITS ASSOCIATED SEVERING EDGE WHEN THE SEVERING EDGE OF SAID ONE BLADE OVERLAPS SAID OTHER BLADE, SAID CUP MEMBER HAVING A RECESS OPENING TOWARD ITS ASSOCIATED SEVERING EDGE AND SHAPED TO DIRECT THE STREAM AWAY FROM SAID OTHER BLAD WHEN IN THE PATH OF THE STREAM WITH THE BLADES CLOSED, THEREBY TO FORM A GOB-LIKE MEMBER AT THE SEVERED END OF THE STREAM, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BLADES BETWEEN THE OPEN POSITION IN WHICH SAID BLADES ARE SPACED FROM SAID STREAM AND THE CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH THE SEVERING EDGES OF SAID BLADES ARE OVERLAPPED. 